Rivet-gun rig



W. B. ASHE AND F. C. BIVINS.

RIVET GUN RIG.

APPLICATION FILED APR.10, 19|9.

Patented Apr. 6, 19200 I1 TTORA/EYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. ASHE, OF HAMPTON, AND FREDERICK C. BIVINS, OF NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA.

Application filed April 10, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WVILLIAM B. Asrrn and FREDERICK C. BIVINS, citizens of the United States, and residents of Hampton, in the county of Elizabeth City and State of Virginia, and Newport News, in the county of Warwick and State of Virginia, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rivet-Gun Rigs, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in devices for riveting and more particularly to devices used in riveting plates and the framing of steeling vessels.

In ordinary steel work, it is the general practice (in most ship yards) to use pneumatic rivet guns for driving the rivets. One machine is used for driving the rivets and another smaller machine for chipping off superfluous metal before finishing the rivet with the driving machine.

The methods now employed are practically the same as when pneumatic tools first came into general use for ship riveting. The riveter stands on a stage erected along the ships side with rivet gun and chipping machine carried at the ends of separate leads. When a hot rivet comes through, then it is clenched by using the rivet gun, which is then laid down, the chipping machine picked up, the surplus metal chipped off, the chipping machine laid down and the riveter picked up to finish the rivet, the operator continually stooping and bending.

This practice necessitates the laying of tools down on the staging, and there have been numerous instances where the tools have slipped or rolled off, or been knocked off, thereby causing serious accidents to workmen below the particular operator referred to.

An object of the invention is to materially modify the practice hereinbefore outlined.

Another object is to prevent or minimize the danger of accidents to workmen.

A further and highly important object of the invention is to hold the necessary tools at or near the location of the rivet, thus enabling the operator to drive and chip the rivets with the machine suspended and supported so that he can shift from one to the other without laying them down, to fall or be knocked ofl' the staging.

With these and other objects in view, our invention consists in its broadest aspect of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

Serial No. 289,056.

means for suspending and movably supporting a pneumatic tool adjacent to the work to be performed and permitting relatively wide range of field of operation for the tool used.

The invention consists further in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which Figure 1 is an elevation showing a fragment of a ships side with our improvements as applied and used.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing the operation of the device and the staging upon which the operator stands.

Fig. 3 is a plan view which is diagrammatic showing the range of operation for the device.

While the inventive idea involved is susceptible of expression in a variety of ways, we have selected a preferred embodiment for illustration.

Referring more particularly to the drawing and to Fig. 1, a ships side is represented by A showing the longitudinal and transverse rows of rivets A A suitable pad or bracket B is secured to the ships side to which is pivotally connected a crane arm made in sections pivotally connected to each other, so that they may swing in a horizontal plane. The sections of the arm are designated by reference characters C and C the section C being pivoted to the bracket B by a vertical hinge D, while the section C is pivoted to the opposite end of C by a similar vertical hinge D these hinges are composed in the present instance of spaced apart perforated ears or lugs cl which overlap in pairs and are connected by vertical bolts or pins 6.

To the outer end of section C a hinge member C is mounted on a vertical pivot (Z and this member has a tongue E welded to a substantially semicircular plate F having an arcuate slot F of approximately 180 degrees sweep.

Upon the outer face of the semicircular plate at substantially its generative center, one end of a relatively long metal arm G is bolted or pivoted and the arm extends radially across the outer face of the plate and to some distance beyond its circumference. A bolt H passes through the arcuate slot F in plate F, and through the arm G, and a butterfly nut I is run on the threaded end of the said bolt, so that the arm G can be held at any angle to the vertical or horizontal as desired and the extent of the slot will permit a swing of approximately 180 degrees of the arm in a vertical plane.

At the free end of the arm G a flexible suspension device J is provided, the device in the present instance being a length of chain; this chain is connected at the lower end to a pneumatic tool K such as a rivet gun, a chipper or a driver, by any suitable means such as a snap, open link etc.

To the rivet gun is connected one end of an air lead L which is shown in Fig. 2 where the operator is shown as standing on a staging M.

A rig such as has just been described, is used for a rivet gun and another for a chipping machine.

From the above disclosure it will be seen that we provide a device by which the operating arm can be placed in a positive position at any place.

By using a sectional crane arm the sections being hingedly connected, the rivet gun can be swung around horizontally through an arc of 180 degrees, or the sections can be swung in or out to any desired position.

Furthermore the arm G can be swung on a vertical plane through an arc of approximately 180 degrees, thus permitting a very Wide range of action for the operating tool, and a device is provided which does away with the necessity of laying down one tool to take up another, and consequently eliminating the danger of tools being mislaid or knocked off the staging.

We claim 1. A pneumatic tool rig comprising a supporting member, a sectional crane member pivotally supported thereon to swing in a plane perpendicular to the support, a tool carrying arm member pivotally supported at the free end of said sectional crane member to swing in a plane perpendicular to the planar path of the sectional crane, and flexible suspension means at the face end of said arm adapted for connection with the pneumatic tool.

2. A pneumatic tool rig comprising a supporting member rigidly connected to the object to be operated on, a sectional crane pivotally supported at one end to said supporting member and adapted to swing in a plane perpendicular thereto, a base plate pivotally secured to the free end of said crane in a plane perpendicular to the sweep of said crane, said plate having an arcuate guideway therein, a tool carrying arm pivotv ally secured at one end to said base'plate and movably connected with said guideway, and flexible suspension means carried at the free end of said arm, adapted for connection with the pneumatic tool.

3. A pneumatic tool rig comprising a supporting member adapted to be rigidly connected to the object to be operated on, a foldable sectional crane member pivotally secured thereto, a plate pivotally secured to the free end of said crane and disposed perpendicular to the planar swing of the crane member, said plate having an arcuate slot therethrough, an elongated arm pivotally secured'at one end to the free end of said plate, means connecting the plate and arm through the arcuate slot and permitting movement of the arm over the face of the said plate, and means carried at the free end of said arm to suspend a pneumatic tool therefrom.

4. A pneumatic tool rig consistin of a supporting pad adapted to be rigi Iy secured to the object to be operated on, a crane member hingedly connected to said pad, said crane member including a plurality of foldable sections having hinged connection, a segmental plate having hinged connection with the outer section of said crane member, said segmental plate having an arcuate slot therethrough, a flat metal arm pivoted at one end to the face of said segmental plate and extending over the face thereof and beyond its periphery, and adjustable meansengaging said arm and the arcuate slot whereby the arm may be swung in a circular path, and held at any point therein, and flexible means at the free end of said arm adapted to be attached to the pneumatic tool.

5. A pneumatic tool rig comprising asupporting member, a crane member pivotally supported thereon and mounted to swing in a plane perpendicular to said supporting member, a tool carrying member pivotally supported at the free end of said crane and adapted to swing in a plane perpendicular to the planar path of the crane, and means for securing the tool to the free end of said tool carrying member.

6. A pneumatic tool rig comprising a supporting member adapted to be secured to the object to be operated on, and atool carrying element flexibly connected with said supporting member, whereby said tool carrying element is susceptible of angular movement in planes perpendicular to one another.

WM. B. ASHE. FRED. O. BIVINS. 

